


Venom

by cringe (Calyxir)



Series: River Ghost [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Funny, M/M, aengdu is funny, lmao tags kinda spoiled it, mage beomgyu, tae is kinda cursed, toto is also here, warlock taehyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25069705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calyxir/pseuds/cringe
Summary: “I could kill you by a single touch.”“Is that why your hands are covered?”“Why are you here?”“None of your business—“[in which Taehyun is prophesied to be the only warlock to end the reign of Min Yoongi. Locked in solidarity for seven years, he is surprised to see Huening Kai, a knight from the Choi Dynasty, in front of his doorstep.]
Relationships: Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Series: River Ghost [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815616
Comments: 22
Kudos: 31





	1. Venom 1

**3 rd Person’s POV:**

“Tae… we’re leaving…,” his mother said, caressing the face of an 11-year old Taehyun. He could hear the clattering of things as his father prepared to go.

“W… what? But… why can’t I come?” he asked, eyes glistening with innocence.

His mother smiled, just as a tear fell from her eyes.

“We love you, okay? Always remember that.”

Then, his mother screamed. Fire engulfed her being, as his father joined her in a broken record of agonizing yells of anguish.

Taehyun stared wide-eyed at the scene that unfolded in front of him.

\--- 

Taehyun’s POV:

A sharp pain in my arm awakened me from my reoccurring nightmare. There were two, red and fresh puncture wounds near my wrist. I groaned in frustration.

“Aengdu! Come out here,” I said, knowing well who bit me.

The albino corn snake emerged from under my bed, acting as if he too had just awoken.

Aengdu looked up at me like a deer caught in headlights.

“How many times do I have to remind you not to wake me up like that?” I said, exasperated at my familiar.

 _”Zure, I’ll try zuffocating you nez time,”_ the snake hissed, forked tongue poking out playfully.

I swear, he is a dog trapped in snake skin.

I got off my bed, Aengdu slithering alongside me wherever I went.

 _“You zu know I can read your mind, right?”_ the snake said.

Yes. It’s a huge disadvantage at times, but it was how things worked. A warlock and his familiar had an unspoken bond and communicate by telepathy.

I shook my head and walked to the nearest table, grabbing my wand and casting a spell on myself. The wound healed itself quickly.

_“I miz going outzide. The laz time we did that you were like, eleven.”_

I cocked an eyebrow at the limbless lizard.

“Yeah, and look at where that got us,” I said, reaching out for the box of white rats Aengdu loved to eat, “My parents got caught because we wanted to go outside.”

I wasn’t prohibited to exit the confines of my cottage, I was just afraid to do so—I might commit the same mistake and get myself killed.

My heart broke at the memory.

I was a child, and it was normal to want to go out and explore the woods. My parents prohibited me to do so, because leaving the cottage we lived in would break the spell that kept us hidden from the rest of the world.

Witches and warlocks saw my parents as traitors. But the 11-year-old-me did not know that.

With Aengdu wrapped cosily on one of my arms, we left the cottage, causing our once invisible home exposed to any sorcerer who wanted revenge on my parents.

I trudged through the woods, smiling at the fireflies that zoomed past my nose. The forest was magical in my eyes, it was as if magic belonged there.

Unfortunately, as Aengdu and I combed through the woods, an angry mob has found its way to our cottage.

My parents did the only thing they knew to defend themselves—they used a spell that killed the mob.

The moment Aengdu and I got home, my parents were already packing up, saying things like:

“We used a spell, the king would be able to track us now.”

And…

“It would be better to surrender to him, and tell him that Taehyun is dead.”

And…

“Taehyun, whatever you do… never cast spells outside this cottage; that way, no one can find you.”

And…

“We love you, okay? Always remember that.”

My parents always talked about how the main threat to their lives was our old coven, but…

That night, it wasn’t a sorcerer who killed my parents—it was the King, Min Yoongi.

My parents used to belong to a coven with close ties to the King. It was the only coven the King allowed. They were only about thirty witches and wizards…, until my mother gave birth to me making us thirty-one in total.

The entire coven protected me because if the King were to find out, he would kill me, and then my parents.

I never understood the King’s bloodlust, but apparently it was because of a prophecy:

_“The thirty-first child born under the crescent moon would be the one to end the King’s reign with his lethal touch.”_

I was destined to kill him, if you haven’t caught up. I was apparently the only one who could break whatever spell that made him immortal.

I never understood what ‘lethal touch’ meant until my sixteenth birthday when I touched a rose bush, and it died in an instant.

Knowing this, my parents left the coven (a sign of betrayal) and casted a spell upon me, making me one of the most dangerous warlocks alive.

The spell made me immune to every curse that could be casted upon me, basically, I was invincible.

 _“All right, enough of the flazbacz, snakey iz getting hungry!”_ Aengdu hissed in a sing-song voice, breaking my train of thought.

The white mice in the box scrambled, not that they can escape. I removed my handmade gloves and took the first mouse in sight.

The mouse instantly became pliant in my touch. I dangled it in front of my familiar, and he ate it in one gulp.

 _”Mmm, iz good, you know what I’m zayin’?”_ he hissed again, licking his fangs for any remnants of rat meat.

“No, I don’t know what you’re saying because I’m not a snake,” I said, mocking him, “And I don’t eat mice.”

Aengdu hissed at me for it, and I responded by poking the space between his eyes.

He pretended to die, suddenly limp on the floorboards of the cottage.

I laughed and proceeded to prepare myself a meal after I wear my gloves once more.

~

I stared out into the window, seeing the raindrops fall, hearing the sound of leaves and branches that were swayed by the wind.

The pitter patter of the rain almost masked the sound of someone knocking on my door.

Note, I said almost.

My eyes widened, maybe my ears were tricking me.

They weren’t.

_Knock, knock, knock._

“Is anyone home?” A loud, yet gentle, voice accompanied the vigorous knocking.

 _”Zis could be a trick, or a trap,”_ said Aengdu.

I remained quiet. I did not want whoever was behind that door to know I was here.

 _“I zink you should juz kill him, curze or something,”_ he continued.

I really wanted to strangle Aengdu right now, help me god.

_“Ezpel him, Tae!”_

“If I expel him, the magic would be casted outside, are you trying to get me killed, you absolute pabo?” I whispered. The banging did not stop.

“Please, I just… I was searching for someone and I got lost.”

 _”Zcam! Zis could be a zcam, Tae!”_ he hissed, attempting to knock some sense in me.

“Shut up, Aengdu or I swear to--”

“Tae… what a nice name for someone with zero hospitality,” the same voice chuckled. I was confused. The knocking stopped—

And in my square-shaped window was a handsome stranger.

_”Zats kinda gay, Tae.”_

My face heated up, Aengdu has got to stop trespassing in my head.

I gulped; the stranger was staring right at me with a raised eyebrow, his coat soaked by the rain, his hair stuck to his forehead… his drenched eyelashes only accentuated how long they were—

_”Okay, Tae, ztop being gay and juz—kizz marry and kill.”_

If only Aengdu was vulnerable to my touch, I would’ve held him eons ago.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the stranger said, “If I get sick, I’ll blame it on you,” his face fell, eyes grew softer, feigning weakness.

I rushed to my door and opened up, wand hidden behind me just in case this handsome stranger would attempt to harm me.

“… thanks…” the stranger mumbled and shrugged his coat off his shoulders, placing it on one of the chairs near my table.

I saw Aengdu hissing in disbelief, eyes narrowed into slits.

I locked my door by tapping the tip of the wooden stick thrice on its knob.

The stranger shook his head to slightly dry his hair, making him look like a puppy who came back home from playing in a pool.

He properly turned towards me and I saw the crest of the Choi Dynasty embroidered into his clothing.

What was a Choi Knight doing here? What was he doing near the Min’s territory?

“I’m sorry about this… and—uhm, I’m Huening Kai from—you know what,” the stranger giggled. How cute.

I can tell he’s younger than me, or maybe independence has forced my maturity.

“I’m tired of these formalities, I’m Kai,” he said, holding out his hand for a hand shake.

I smirked at his outstretched palm. He had no idea how dangerous a handshake with me, Kang Taehyun, is.

“I could kill you by a single touch.”

“Is that why your hands are covered?”

“Why are you here?”

“None of your business—“

 _“Verita dicere,”_ I said, flicking my wand from behind me.

Kai looked confused.

 _”Wow, nize move,_ ”Aengdu said.

“I know,” I answered him out loud.

“Who are you… talking to?” Kai asked, hand grasping his head—an effect of the ‘truth’ spell I used on him.

Aengdu came out of hiding, hissing at Kai, then slithering towards where I stood.

Kai seemed to put two and two together and breathed, “Aish.”

“Yeah, I’m Kang Taehyun, a wizard, nice to meet you too.”

I swung my wand over to the chair and pointed it at Kai, causing him to slump onto the hard surface, arms unmoving on the armrests.

“Now, Kai, we’re going to have a little chat—how did you find me?”

The words slipped out of Kai’s mouth in an instant. He wanted to stop talking, but the spell kept him from doing so.

“This is my first mission as a knight. The prince’s father was curious about Prince Yeonjun’s whereabouts—he sent me to follow the prince, but I got lost—where am I?”

“… you don’t know?”

The knight shook his head.

“Well, you’re in another kingdom’s territory—Min’s.”

Perplexed, Kai spoke up again, “No… no, I can’t be here--”

He stood up and took his coat, only for me to wave my wand again, sending him hurling back to his chair.

“We’re not done talking yet. How did you find my home? This place is warded--”

“Look, Taehyun, I don’t know… I just knew I needed shelter until the rain stops.”

I nodded, it seemed valid.

“Wait…,” Kai muttered under his breath, “You’re the prophecy, aren’t you?”

My head whipped to his direction.

“So what if I am?”

“We thought you were dead--”

“The King thinks so too. No one has ever found me for seven years, forgive me for panicking when you came in my door.”

“The King… you mean Yoongi?”

“He could have your head on a stake for saying his name without the title.”

Kai scoffed in disgust, “He’s been trying to conquer our kingdom for god knows how long—do not expect me to show him respect. My father died because of his thirst for power.”

I felt sorry for him. We lost our parents in the same way.

“Let me go now?” Kai asked, looking expectantly at me.

“I… can’t. I can’t risk you going back out into the world knowing where I live. I’ll make it quick.”

Kai was baffled when I removed the glove from my left hand.

“Woah, wait--, uh is there no other way?! Can’t we talk this out or something? You’re seriously going to kill the first person you see after seven years?”

 _”Yez,”_ Aengdu hissed.

“No,” I said, emotions getting the best of me as I exhaled sharply and put back my glove.

~

When Kai exited my home, Aengdu started to curse at me, call me names, all of which were synonyms of the word ‘idiot’.

He reasoned that letting a stranger in was no better than going outside. If anything, it was worse.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do so. He looked harmless, and seeing him in the rain made me feel things.

While we talked, I had a mask of authority, but deep inside, my stomach was doing the flippy over thing.

I can’t even express myself properly anymore.

Am I in love? Is it possible that I fell in love with a person I just met?

_”What are you, a prinzezz?”_

_I_ scoffed at the snake and made my way to my bookshelf to learn a new spell.

“He’d never come back anyway.”

~

I was wrong. Kai did come back. A lot of times.

Maybe he pitied me because I had no one else to keep me company aside from a snake.

I was content with Aengdu, but having Kai visit often made me happier.

“What’s taking him so long?” I asked the snake, who was munching on another white rat.

He ignored me, he would be shrugging if he had shoulders.

Although trees towered over my cottage, I still had a view of the setting sun. Kai should be here by now.

My lips tugged into a smile when I heard the gentle taps of Kai’s fist on my wooden door.

I jumped out of my bed, left the book I was reading, and opened the up.

There he was, clad in his coat, as usual, but now… he had gloves.

He held out his hand.

“Kai… Kai, what is this?” I asked.

“I’m taking you out.”

I hesitated to take his hand. What if—

“I wore gloves for a reason,” he chuckled and took my naked hand.

It felt warm… and comforting. Through the soft woven cloth, I could feel his pulse… and how close his skin was from mine… and how trusting he was.

I could kill him if I really wanted to.

But who would kill the person who’s made me feel loved after living in isolation for years?

“What if… someone tries to hurt me?”

“They’ll have to get through me. Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Is that all Tae? Trust?” He said as he tugged on my hand, urging me to come out of the cottage with him.

Well… love was a side effect of trust.

I blushed at his remark. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again when I realized I had nothing reasonable to say.

I let myself step outside, the wind brushing my skin.

Normally, I would wake up Aengdu to come with me, but this time… I wanted to be with Kai without the snake rating my gay-ness meter.

Only with Kai.

~

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kai said as he sat beside me.

We were on a Cliffside, our feet dangling on the edge. I was still tired from the long walk to get here.

My hands supported my leaning form… the grass surrounding my palm turning black.

I chuckled glumly, “I should’ve worn my glo--”

“Don’t mention your gloves, okay? I want you to feel normal, at least when you’re with me.”

His arm slithered around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I leaned my head onto his chest, feeling it rise and fall in time with his breathing.

We started to talk, and I found myself telling him a lot of things about my life.

“Enough about me,” I said. At this point, my head was on Kai’s lap as I stared at the stars in the sky, “What about you? I remember you told me you were looking for a prince?”

“Yes, well,” he whispered, hands playing with my red hair, “Not… looking. He’s not lost, Yeonjun-hyung isn’t a runaway prince.”

“ _Yeonjun-hyung?_ Don’t honorifics exist in your vocabulary?”

Kai laughed. A genuine one, it was loud, maybe even startled some owls.

“Blame him for that. He treats me like a brother. That’s why his father sent me to spy on wherever he went every night—to some river.”

“Why would the prince have interest in a river?”

“I don’t know, but he asked me to keep it secret from his father.”

“The world is secretive, don’t you think?” I queried, playing with my own fingers. As I stared up at Kai, it took all my willpower to refrain from caressing his cheeks.

“Yes, I guess so. But maybe secrets are what prove how important trust is—without them, there’s nothing to protect.”

“Shouldn’t you be home by now?”

“As long as you’re with me, home is here.”

~

3rd Person POV:

Little did Taehyun know that would be the last night he would spend with Kai.

Kai saw every single ‘wanted’ poster, with Taehyun’s face drawn on it. The bounty—the reward money for his head—was a huge amount.

The Mins truly wanted him dead so bad that they were asking help from the Chois to kill him.

As Kai continued to play with the wizard’s hair, a tear ricocheted down his cheek. Taehyun saw.

“Taehyun, you have to leave…”

Tae’s expression was unreadable.

“They know you’re alive. Now they want you dead…, I can’t live with that, Tae… I’d rather you disappeared.”

No wonder he was being extra sweet tonight.

“How… how did they find out?”

“A mage… followed me, I’m sorry Tae, I’m--”

“Who?”

“I don’t know,” Kai paused to think, “He had black hair and… a parrot perched on his shoulder.”

Taehyun froze. He knew who that was.

The Min’s Royal Wizard—Beomgyu.

“Kai, we have to get back, now!”

~

Aengdu was left alone in their cottage. He thought it was a good idea to eat all the mice in their cupboard, he couldn’t let himself starve.

He was about to sink his fangs into the last mouse when a bird came flying into the window and hooked his claws around the mouse.

 _”Hello, did you miss me?”,_ the bird said in a very chirpy manner.

 _”Toto, give zat back or I’ll eat you instead!”_ Aengdu hissed, baring his fangs.

 _“Come and get me!”_ the green parrot chirped, flying out of the cottage in the way it entered.

Aengdu did just that, darting towards the flying creature. They chased each other for two minutes until a hand held him, locking his venomous jaw in place.

“I’m sorry, Aengdu, I’m doing this for Choi Soobin.”

Beomgyu—the mage who was bound to the Mins.

Aengdu stared dumbfounded. Choi Soobin? What did Beomgyu have to do with him?

These thoughts clouded Aengdu’s head as Beomgyu put him in a sack, and tied it closed.

~

Taehyun and Kai came home to an empty cottage—no annoying snake.

“You have to go, Tae. They already have Aengdu--”

“I can’t leave without him, okay?! He’s my familiar; any spell casted on him would have an effect on me, too! If they figure out a spell to kill Aengdu, I will die with him!”

Taehyun was panicking; he wondered how Kai was remaining calm.

“Right, I’ll go get him.”

Taehyun panicked even more—

“Kai, are you insane? A Choi knight walking into the Min’s territory? That’s suicide!”

“Forgive me for what I’m about to do, Taehyun.”

Kai inched closer to the warlock and pecked his cheek, leaving the lingering feel of his lips on a bewildered Taehyun.

“I will get Aengdu back. And once I do, forget about me and stay out of this mess.”

\----

FICTION for ENTERTAINMENT

[Part 2 will be published soon.]


	2. Venom 2

**3 rd Person’s POV:**

“ _Toto, you ztupid bird, get me out of here!_ ” Aengdu writhed inside the sack he was currently trapped in.

“ _Sorry, can’t do that--_ ” the parrot chirped, head cocking to the side as he busied himself with drinking water from the tap in his bird pen.

“ _Or what? Iz not like Beomgyu would harm you--_ ”

“ _He’ll change my name to ‘waeng’! I’m sorry but I value my dignity._ ”

Aengdu huffed, he would snap the bird’s wing as soon as he breaks out of the gosh-ugly potato sack.

“ _Okay, fine—tell me where in za world am I?_ ”

“ _In my heart~_ ”

Aengdu didn’t answer. He knew better than to argue with a bird with no brain.

He and Toto were the best of friends back when Taehyun and his parents were still part of the coven. Aengdu has never seen Toto ever since— _this,_ is not a way to greet an old friend.

He heard footsteps, he half expected it to be Taehyun, but no. Chains rattled, and… a click of a lock resounded.

“Toto, is the snake bullying you again?” Beomgyu.

Toto fluttered to Beomgyu’s shoulder at his command. The royal wizard took the bag Aengdu was in and started to walk.

“ _Okay, where ze hell are you taking me?_ ” he hissed.

“ _Gyu, is there a spell to get a familiar to shut up?_ ” Toto said, annoyed by the snake who kept trying to bite his way out of the bag.

“I can’t hear him, so it’s your problem not mine,” Beomgyu replied as he ascended a flight of stairs.

Sunlight peeked through the cracks of the sack’s rough threads he bit over.

From what he could see though the small hole he made, he seemed to be… in a palace. A huge one at that, the carpets on the floor were red— large gold-plated framed paintings were hung on the walls.

In front of them was a huge door, Aengdu could only guess it was the King’s throne room.

Aengdu was as smart as Taehyun, of course he was right.

The doors dragged themselves open. Beomgyu entered, Aengdu heard the metal clinging of swords, the King’s knights were everywhere.

The snake suddenly felt threatened inside the bag.

Beomgyu knelt in front of—what Aengdu could only guess—the King’s throne.

“My king,” Beomgyu’s voice didn’t falter, “here is his familiar, as promised.”

“Show me,” Yoongi ordered, “I’ll cut its head off myself.”

Aengdu stopped squirming, eyes widening at what he had just heard.

“Your highness, I think it is better if we think this through.” Beomgyu untied the knot keeping the snake inside the sack.

“Why…” the King leaned over his chair, staring daggers at Beomgyu, “Are you stalling? You have no right to argue with me.”

“Hear me out, my king,” he said, fear tainting his words.

Yoongi’s silence made the mage continue, “Familiars don’t work that way. If you kill the animal, the warlock doesn’t die. It just makes them crazy for vengeance.”

The King considered.

“We don’t know what kind of tricks Kang Taehyun has under his sleeves. If we keep his familiar alive, he wouldn’t have a reason to lash out.”

“What are you suggesting we do?”

Now, Beomgyu has taken Aengdu out of the bag completely, locking his fingers in between the snake’s jaw for safety.

The king locked eyes with the snake’s kaleidoscopic orbs.

Aengdu saw the mage smirk, “We use him as a lure. A bait. Taehyun couldn’t flee without this precious snake of his.”

~

Taehyun’s POV:

_“I will get Aengdu back. And once I do, forget about me and stay out of this mess.”_

“Kai, how the are you even going to find him? That palace is large, and Aengdu is—“

There was a pain in Kai’s eyes that I could not decipher.

“I’ll find him. I know I can, but… I can’t tell you how.”

“Kai, what is that supposed to mean?”

The knight’s heart was beating quickly as he pulled me into a hug, avoiding his exposed hands.

I was still in shock when the boy detached himself and left with a last smile. 

~

I was left in the confines of my home, doing nothing better than reminiscing my moments with Kai—my knight in shining armour… who would most probably be dead by sunrise.

The first time Kai said my name… I felt as if I were in cloud nine. No one aside from Aengdu has aid my name in the past seven years.

Hearing his voice say, “Tae” was refreshing.

Wait.

My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. I darted to my bookshelf and took the second book on the bottom shelf.

A book focused on familiars and the partitions of a mage’s soul.

I traced my finger over the table of contents until I found what I was looking for.

_‘Soulmates and Human Connections’_

It is possible for a mage to have a human soulmate. Along with this, a part of the familiar’s spirit is connected to this human. Oftentimes, the familiar’s voice can slip from mage-to-familiar telepathy, and enter the human’s head. This occurrence is also out of the familiar’s control.

~

No wonder I couldn’t bring myself to kill him—he was my soulmate.

No wonder he knew my name the first time he saw me.

No wonder—because he heard Aengdu and I arguing and heard “Tae.”

How did I let this slip?

… Why did I let him _waltz into his death._

The knowledge of my other half sacrificing himself just to help me escape… _hurts._

~

Third Person POV:

Ever since Kai heard Aengdu talk, the thought of it has been bothering him.

Huening Kai knows that Taehyun is his soulmate, after extensive research, of course.

“Kai-ah?” Yeonjun’s voice echoed in the royal library Kai was currently in. Kai carried with him a lamp, since he was needed light.

“You’re finally back from the river. Take a bath, I can smell it on you, hyung.”

He walked closer to Kai, as Yeonjun realized Kai was holding a spell book.

“What do you need that for?” the prince asked, squinting to see the words written on the book.

Kai shook his head and turned away from Yeonjun.

“I won’t tell you until you tell me why you run off to that river every night.”

Yeonjun scoffed and got lost in his own whimsical laughter.

“Is this why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder lately?”

“Good, hyung, you finally caught up.”

“Are you jealous I don’t read you bedtime stories anymore~?” Yeonjun continued to tease the younger.

Kai closed the book and pushed it back from where he first pulled it out.

“I’m not telling you anything about my life until you tell me about yours,” the knight said, crouching down to have a better view of the books on the lower shelf.

“You would think I were crazy,” Yeonjun sighed, debating with himself whether he should be speaking of it.

“Try me, hyung. Lately, crazy’s all that’s been happening.”

“There’s a ghost by the river bank.”

Kai wasn’t surprised. He had just heard a snake talk, he wasn’t in the position to judge the elder.

“I heard a snake talk,” Kai whispered, cringing at how weird it felt to say it out loud.

“It was a familiar, wasn’t it?” the prince said, eyebrows creasing in worry.

Kai answered with silence, Yeonjun took it as a yes.

“… Is it bad, hyung?”

Yeonjun forced a smile, “No… not at all…”

It _was_ bad. It _can_ get kai killed. Being involved with a mage is extremely dangerous… especially when the mage was Kang Taehyun.

“Sorcery, Volume Three. You’ll find answers there.”

~

For starters, Kai did not know what he was doing. He was practically driven by instinct and adrenaline—relying on hearing Aengdu’s voice again.

Ever since he heard Taehyun’s snake talk, he would often dream about hearing it, and sometimes he would overhear Tae and his familiar arguing about the pettiest things.

If Taehyun would somehow find out they were bound as soulmates, there was no way he would let Kai go and find Aengdu. This was why he kept it to himself.

~

“ _Ztop looking at me like zat,_ ” Aengdu spoke. This time, he wasn’t in a sack anymore. He was in something worse—a glass container guarded by Toto.

“ _I pity you,_ ” Toto chirped while picking out worms in Beomgyu’s indoor botanical.

“ _Zen help me get out of here,_ ” the snake was losing his patience.

“ _I fancy you~_ ”

Aengdu visibly gave up at arguing with the parrot. Toto noticed this and flew to him, perching himself atop the glass container.

“ _As much as I’d love to help you, Gyu and I are bound here. We can’t leave without that arrogant King’s permission._ ”

For the familiar of the Min’s Royal mage to talk about the King like that—Toto must really have beef with Yoongi.

“ _Bound… like… zpell bound?_ ”

“ _I wish it were that basic._ ”

Realization hit Aengdu like a brick—there was no way Beomgyu would work for the king willingly.

“ _Well zen…, why don’t we help each ozer?_ ”

~

That was how Aengdu got himself between the bird claws as they glided down, outside the tower they were previously in.

Aengdu landed on the grass with a thud. Toto left and flew back from where they came from.

The snake slithered through the glass, internally cursing his neon red scales that made him stand out amidst the green.

One scene made him stop and stare wide-eyed.

There was a knight, with his gloved hands tied behind him—struggling and staring daggers at the King’s guards who caught him.

Aengdu yelled in his head, “ _Kai!_ ”

To the snake’s surprise, the boy responded by turning his head towards the snake’s direction.

“ _Ztupido!_ ” The snake exhaled, of course, Kai heard him, even from a distance. But the Knight couldn’t answer back.

The corn snake was now aware that Kai could definitely hear him. Kai was definitely Tae’s soulmate—and Aengdu would be damned if he let Kai get killed.

Aengdu trailed behind them in discreet cautiousness, he heard the guards babbling at each other as they paraded Kai towards the throne room.

~

Aengdu wasn’t able to sneak inside the throne room itself, but he was near hidden near enough to hear the voices.

~

Huening Kai was pushed by the guards, causing him to fall to his knees when he refused to bow down to Yoongi.

“Your highness, this Choi Knight was caught in the act of trespassing,” the first guard said in a rusty voice.

Kai muttered something under his breath, probably something that would offend the King if he said it louder.

Yoongi stood from where he was sitting cross-legged. He took Kai’s chin and forced him to look up.

Yoongi’s blonde hair was tied, it looked like silk, and it was long—a sign of being undefeated in battle.

“You look so much like your father… I wonder if you would fight for your life the same way he did.”

Kai spat bitter words at the King, “Just kill me if you want to.”

“Feisty,” Yoongi said, letting go of Kai’s face.

“Tempting offer,” he brought his hand to the his sword fastened to his belt, “But no thanks. Maybe… you can be of use. Besides, having the Chois fight neck-on-neck with me is the most inconvenient thing right now.”

“What, and make me one of your slaves? I’d rather die--”

“Hm,” Yoongi glanced at the gloves behind Kai, “You know Kang Taehyun, don’t you?”

The knight was caught off guard, fists clenching behind him.

“No I don’t.”

“Don’t lie. The gloves gave it away because—would you have any other reason to have worn those?”

Kai bit his tongue.

The king, with an evil glint in his eye, leaned into Huening Kai’s ears.

He uttered the following words very clearly, wanting to burn the words into Kai’s head.

**_“You will go back home to your beloved warlock… and you will end him.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sskssksk i decided to add another chap so it wouldn't be a very long read uwuwuw


	3. Venom 3

Huening Kai was thrown into the dungeon—his first encounter with the King giving him more reasons to abhor his existence.

“You will go back home to your beloved warlock… and you will end him,” the King’s voice echoed in his ears. The King wasn’t speaking with the end in mind, he was simply threatening the young knight.

However, certain revelations and consequences would form the threat into truth.

He was aware that Yoongi was having a chat with Beomgyu, while all he could do was wait and hope for the best.

The walls of his cell were rough stones enclosing him, metal bars served as the door. He was in the last cell, the one farthest from the dungeon’s entrance, the darkness was eating him up alive. He surveyed the cell and saw a small window above him, a rectangular one that showed him the cell next to him.

He took the stool—which was the only thing inside the prison he was in, save for the candle that illuminated his sight.

At first, he couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. It was dark, but Kai was sure there was… something that resembled a bed.

Or at least he assumed it was a bed, since there appears to be a body on it… from what he could make of his vision, the body was covered in white cloth.

What kind of shady things is the King hiding?

Kai squinted, but his eyes only saw even more black dots.

He hopped off the stool.

“Kai,” he heard the sound of slithering along with the voice.

“Aengdu, what are you doing here? You already had your chance to go back to Taehyun--”

“And leave you here zo zat pretenzious king could do god knowz what to you?”

“Yes, wouldn’t that be better?” His speech was faint, careful not to awaken whoever was in the other room… if that person was still alive, anyway.

The snake enlarged its eyes and flared its nostrils in comical sarcasm, “No! Tae would cut my fangz off if I zid zat! ”

“Why would he--”

“I zwear—why iz everyone I know az dumb az a fly? You really zink, Taehyun hazn’t caught up by now?”

“Know what?” Kai mumbled as he sat down on the floor, facing the snake through the bars of his cell. Unfortunately, the cell too was warded against any magic—including familiars.  
Aengdu lifted himself up to where his muzzle was levelled with Kai’s nose.

“If I don’t bring back hiz zoulmate—ZOULMATE! You!—he would zap me wiz a zpell I would never recover from.”

Kai pouted, the air from his exhalation filling his cheeks.

“He knows… I was hoping he would never find out.”

“Zo you could what? Iz better if he knowz because zat way, he would be zafe--”

“What does being Tae’s soulmate have to do with any of this?” Kai snapped, feeling the rising tension between him and the snake, “If Taehyun escapes unscathed, then that’s all right for me.”

“No, you zon’t get it! Zer is a loophole, zomezing hiz parentz mizzed when zey charmed him.”

“And that is…?”

“You, Kai. You are ze loophole. You’re za one who can… kill him. Iz only a matter of zime before zey figure it out.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to pretend I’m not the weapon they’ve been looking for.”

Unbeknownst to Huening nor Aengdu, a feathered familiar has been eavesdropping on them and heard every word that came out of Kai’s mouth, and every detail hissed by the snake.

Toto quietly flew up, back to Beomgyu and the King to tell them the news.

Yoongi and Beomgyu were in his tower, the latter was in deep panic, he was pressured by the King’s hard stare. If looks could kill, this would be the end of Beomgyu’s life.

“Beomgyu, I’m waiting,” the King said, his words exaggerated. The exasperation of Yoongi was evident, he leaned back on his chair, legs outstretched and fingers pinching his nosebridge as he let out a yawn.

Why was Beomgyu so nervous? It wasn’t like the King would smite him, his skills were still needed, his mastery in magic was his leverage. If Yoongi’s existence wasn’t being threatened by Taehyun’s, he would have Beomgyu’s head on a stake for taking so long.

“Nothing yet?” The King repeated. Beomgyu was looking for a spell that could brainwash Kai into thinking Taehyun was the enemy. But… what was to come after?

“Your grace,” Beomgyu spoke up, “What if he really doesn’t have any connection to Taehyun, what if we’re just wasting our time?”

The king glared at him, making Beomgyu cower. “You’re wasting our time by asking that question. Let me explain it to you,” the king huffed, permanent frown on his face.

“Clearly, the knight knows Taehyun. That is all we need for now. We need to find that warlock, let’s worry about how to kill him later.”

Forgive him, maybe whatever he was looking for wasn’t even present in any book, because who the hell would write anything about how to end Taehyun specifically?

Of course, it never was written anywhere. Instead, it was a knowledge only known by his familiar (knowledge was passed down to Kai)… and now Toto knew it, too.

The bird flew—more like crashed—through the tower’s open window, almost flying head-first into the opposite wall in haste.

Yoongi snickered, “Your familiar is just as stupid as you, thank god I’m human, and don’t have a pesky animal to care for.”

Human. To Beomgyu, Toto, Aengdu, Kai, Taehyun, and even his own villagers, King Yoongi was far from human.

Beomgyu held out his hand, Toto took it as a cue to settle on his fingers.

“Gyu,” the bird said, all Yoongi heard was chirps, “The knight in the dungeon… he’s Taehyun’s soulmate.”

Everything clicked in Beomgyu’s head, the gears in his brain working over the many possible spells he could cast unto Kai to kill Taehyun… not that he wanted to.

Working for Yoongi, “Kill or be killed” was the motto, he wanted to escape so badly, but someone was keeping him in the palace. Besides, where would he run to? The coven? No, that coven is loyal to Yoongi and would throw him back to the King and call him a traitor.

“What is that bird saying?” came Yoongi’s irritated voice.

Beomgyu hesitated, speaking of this could inevitably lead to Taehyun’s death, and Beomgyu has had enough of killing and brutality. It was never an honor to have casualties listed under your name.

“That Choi knight downstairs… he is Kang Taehyun’s soulmate.”  
-  
In the far regions of the Min’s territory, a warlock was pacing around his own cottage. Taehyun wasn’t used to the silence. He missed Aengdu’s pestering voice…

He missed Kai the most. He missed being touched and held… affection was so addictive. Staring out of his box-shaped window, the weather was serene. It seemed as if all the elements of a storm were cramped into Taehyun, a dark cloud above his head, his thoughts being the thunder.

With thunder comes lightning.

Lightning in the form of an intense headache that stunned him into an unconscious blackness.

Taehyun’s legs gave out, his eyes rolled back, and he hit the floor with a thud.

-

Yoongi held Aengdu’s, right in between his jaw. The snake was unmoving in his grasp, like a red rope that unfurled. Beomgyu’s hand still hovered above the snake. Toto faced away, unable to look at what was about to become of his friend.

The dungeon was slightly lit up now, thanks to a lantern that was held up by a servant.

“No!” Kai pleaded, hands shaking the metal bars in distress, “No, please, leave the snake—kill me instead--” Kai’s sobs blurred his own words.

Beomgyu’s sympathy weighed on his shoulders. Toto was entirely silent, but he could feel the bird’s soft coos and the clicks of his beak, a mannerism of Toto whenever he was sad.

“Please, the snake isn’t who you want—kill me, just not him, please--”

Although killing Aengdu wouldn’t bring Taehyun’s death… Kai knew it would kill Taehyun in the inside. Aengdu has always been there for Taehyun, has been there I the most crucial parts of his life—now was not the time to lose him.

After all, if Yoongi decides to kill Kai instead, they would lose the only weapon they had to end Taehyun. Kai would be dead, Aengdu and Taehyun could leave and find a new place to settle in. Taehyun has lived for decades without Kai… he would manage to survive the rest of his life without him.

The raw emotions Kai radiated softened Beomgyu’s heart. No. No more killing.

“Forgive me your majesty… I can’t.”

Toto’s head snapped towards Beomgyu.

“Gyu…,” the bird chirped, “Gyu… get it over with… Yoongi would--”

Beomgyu retracted his hand and blocked out whatever was coming out of Toto’s beak. He tentatively looked at Kai, the softness still in his eyes. Kai’s grip on the metal bars loosened as he let out a breath he had been unknowingly holding.

Beomgyu gave a weak smile to Kai.

The relief was short-lived, though.

Yoongi released the pliant snake from his grasp, and for a second, everyone in the dungeon thought the king would let the unconscious snake go.

But the king was ruthless. It was a long shot to even think he would let the familiar slither back into the comfort of Taehyun’s cottage.

The snake’s long body hit the floor, and Yoongi wasted no time in unsheathing his sword from his belt. The sword’s silver coating glistened with the radiance of the servant’s lantern.

Shing!

The snake’s head was cut clean off from the rest of its limbless torso. Aengdu’s eyes went black, but it was too dark for any of the horrified spectators to see.

Liquid splattered onto Beomgyu’s robes, it even reached Toto’s feathers, and Kai’s hands that hung loosely over the metal bars. The lantern that gave out warm, orange light from the candle inside was stained as well.

Kai couldn’t bring himself to speak, in fear that the king would impale him mercilessly. Beomgyu’s mouth hung open, Toto was silent. Beomgyu could hear Toto’s internal anguish.

Yoongi kicked the snake’s lower half towards Kai. Instinctively, the knight fell back further into the prison.

“Mage.” Yoongi called out for Beomgyu. “Next time, follow my orders if you do not want simple smiting to turn into brutal bloodbaths.”

Yoongi turned back to Kai. “I wonder…” he paused, walking closer to the metal cage, practically looming over the boy inside, who was still trying to recover from the snake’s decapitation.

“Does it have any effect on the soulmate when the familiar is killed? Or does it simply injure the warlock himself?”

Kai could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, anger and fear brimming at the pit of his stomach. He didn’t feel any physical pain, but the psychological and emotional torture tore him apart.

“I’m not his soulmate.”

“Sure. But,” Yoongi paused again. “According to Beomgyu, who took the information from his bird, who heard you and this… scale-skinned worm,” Yoongi looked down at the Aengdu’s head, “You are in fact the one and only Choi knight who happens to be Taehyun’s soulmate… and guess what else comes with being Taehyun’s soulmate?”

Yoongi smiled widely like a Cheshire cat. “You can kill him. You are the weapon, Kai.”

A sob nearly escaped Kai’s lips, only to be stopped by his own tongue. He shouldn’t show weakness, it wouldn’t benefit him. It would only feed this ruler’s sadistic ego.

Yoongi let out a boisterous laugh, “Don’t you find it absolutely humorous how Taehyun has been so afraid of me, when he has been canoodling and spending precious hours of his life with the only thing on this world, in the universe, capable of killing him?”

With shaking legs, Kai stood up from the floor, the odor of iron from the snake’s blood pungent in his nostrils. The king’s words made Kai want to strangle him, if only he were in arm’s reach—but he wasn’t. So, Kai resorted to speaking.

“I told you to kill me instead.”

“No, no, not yet,” Yoongi tutted, “If I did, then I would lose my one chance of ending your warlock and ridding this world of his deadly touch.”

“Not—not yet? What are you implying?”

Yoongi smirked and backed away from the metal bars. He casted a glance towards Beomgyu.

“Beomgyu, make yourself useful. We don’t want this,” he raised his sword which was still freshly stained by blood, “to tear off your pretty bird’s wings, do we?”

Beomgyu bowed as Yoongi left.

“I don’t want to do this…” Beomgyu carefully trudged through the puddle of red the king had left.

Beomgyu continued, “But I must… or else--”

“Or else he would kill your familiar?” Kai replied in a shaky voice.

“That, yes. And he would also,” Beomgyu gulped and looked to the left. Looked to the cell beside Kai’s. “He would hurt him.”

“Who?” Kai pried.

“Soobin,” Beomgyu was in a dilemma again. “Give me your hand,” the wizard said, stretching out his own.

“No, why would I--”

“I don’t want to do this, but I… I have to.” At this point, the wizard was blabbering to himself.

“I’m sorry,” Beomgyu said in finality as he pointed his fingers at Kai and casted a spell.

-

Taehyun’s eyes slowly adjusted… he was uncomfortably twisted on the floor, he must have fell… he hit his head hard. He willed himself to stand up.

What had happened?

Taehyun struggled to stand, instantly feeling a void. An emptiness deep inside him that he has never felt before…

Sure, Taehyun knew he was awake, he could feel his hands, feet, he was breathing… but something was wrong.

Maybe the void was only his heart missing Kai, maybe he just missed his familiar. Taehyun trusted Kai, if Kai was certain he could bring Aengdu back, then Taehyun would believe him.

Taehyun peered outside his square-shaped window--

As if the heavens heard his plea, there was a certain knight walking towards his cottage, a snake cozily placed on his shoulders.

A smile grazed Taehyun’s lips, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was awfully wrong. He darted to his door, with the intention of running towards Kai and hugging him, thanking him for bringing Aengdu back…

But something stopped him. Blood.

It dripped from somewhere near Kai’s shoulders, down to his clothing. Where was the blood from?

“… Huening…” Taehyun breathed cautiously. The knight was a few feet away, so close, but Taehyun couldn’t bring himself to welcome the guy.

Kai walked closer and… oh god. Taehyun wanted to vomit, he felt immense anger and confusion and fright—all at once.

The snake around Kai’s shoulders was Aengdu, no doubt. His intricate black and red scales void of life. His familiar… was beheaded. Taehyun’s eyes connected with Kai’s. The younger was close enough for Taehyun to sense that this was not Kai. This was not his awkward Choi knight that found his cottage by accident.

Inside Kai’s eyes were swirls of violet, the color of wizard-human manipulation. There was someone else controlling Kai.

It was very hard for Taehyun to believe his own discoveries as Kai walked closer and closer… a sword in his hand. A sword, which was drenched with Aengdu’s blood.

/A sword wielded by his soulmate drenched in his familiar’s blood./

That was the only way to kill Taehyun.

Taehyun attempted to cast spells, but the only spells he was willing to utter were the ones that wouldn’t hurt Kai. None of them were working, Kai was still advancing towards him.

Taehyun didn’t want to hurt Kai… if he would just let Kai—or whoever was controlling him—do away with him, then all this would be over. No more running away from the Mins, no more pain of solidarity, no more pain, no more lethal hands…

He has made his decision. He stood at his doorway, smiling at Kai. He would rather die than kill Kai by his hands.

They were only a foot away from each other now. Kai’s grip on the sword tightened. Taehyun could see Huening’s internal battle with his manipulator, the purple in his eyes switching from purple to black…

Kai raised his sword with a shaking grip. Kai was straining to fight the orders of the whispers in his brain. Orders of “Kill Taehyun, Kai. Do it. Now.”

Taehyun heard a small squeak of a “no” escape Kai’s lips. The raised weapon was… slowly wavering.

“Kai-ah,” Taehyun said, looking him in the eyes, “It’s okay… make—make it quick, okay?”

“No!” Kai’s voice was louder this time. The swirls of purple disappeared.

“Kai? Kai can you hear me?” Taehyun asked experimentally. Maybe he didn’t have to die if Kai took back his own control on himself.

Kai flinched with a harshness of being pushed, the body of Aengdu falling from his shoulders.

Taehyun took a step towards Kai, only for the knight to step away. The sword fell from his grip.

And then, Kai screamed. Tears escaped his eyes—no, they weren’t tears. It was blood.

The voice inside Kai’s head spoke again, “Kill Taehyun or I will kill you from the inside instead.”

“Then do it!” Kai yelled at the top of his lungs, hands gripping at his hair as he replied to the wicked voice.

“Fucking kill me already!” Kai demanded. Taehyun wanted to help Kai, but he was afraid to do so. The voice merely chuckled. Kai stopped squirming as he took the sword he hat let go of.

The purple swirls were back. He turned to Taehyun with a stoic face.

“It’s okay, Kai. I won’t hate you… I… I love you. Just do it already…” Taehyun whined, he was on the verge of straight up begging Kai to kill him.

Only, Kai had other plans.

Although purple swirls were in his irises, Taehyun could sense it was Kai. Whatever he would do next, would not be influenced by the voice in his head.

That’s why Taehyun understood why he did his next move.

Kai raised the sword, and plunged it into his own stomach.

His eyes were back to their normal color. Kai fell limp, the purple swirls gone for good.

Taehyun rushed to him, a string of curses along with “no,no,no,” coming out from his mouth.

Kai was bleeding out, and Taehyun couldn’t do anything to stop it. What was the point of being the world’s strongest warlock when he couldn’t do anything when his lover was bleeding to death?

Taehyun couldn’t cry… he only felt empty and sadness. Grief.

“Kai…” Taehyun kneeled down next to Kai’s head. He caressed Kai’s cheek, hoping to elicit a response… and Kai responded. With a smile.

The bastard smiled. It hurt Taehyun even more.

“I love you too, Taehyun,” Kai said almost like a sigh. His eyes were turning glossy. The elder could not imagine what kind of pain Kai was feeling right now.

“Why… why did you do that, you idiot?” Taehyun asked, crouching down even more to take Kai’s head onto his lap and hug him.

“Aengdu would say… I did that… because I’m so gay…,” Kai paused to breath in a labored breath, “We’re so gay and you’re the idiot, not me…”

“Tae?” Kai said, raising his arms with his dying strength as he took Taehyun’s gloved hands.

“Kai… Kai no--”

“I want to hold your hand, Tae… please… I… want you to feel normal when you’re… with… with me…”

Kai took off the glove and intertwined their hands. It was the first time Taehyun has ever had human contact.

Taehyun saw black, vein-like marks appearing on Kai’s skin where they have touched. The marks were covering more and more of the expanse of Kai’s skin. The venom from his touch was slowly poisoning Kai…

“Kiss me.”

And Taehyun did just that, he kissed Kai’s lips with the passion he wanted to make Kai feel, but couldn’t because of his curse.

Taehyun felt Kai’s hand loosen its grip. Taehyun pulled away…

Kai was gone. The one person who made him feel that damn side effect of trust-- love. The one person who made him laugh genuinely, the one who was so selfless… the knight who killed himself to spare Taehyun… was gone.

Taehyun lived his life without Kai… he could live the rest of it without him, right?

If only it were that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA--- Venom is finally over !! I'd love to see your reactions in the comment section uwu <3 andd kudos are v v appreciated uwu, thanks!!

**Author's Note:**

> hello MOAs! so this is the first part of "Venom", in the series, "River Ghost", which I haven't published yet. Treat this as the prologue/backstory of River Ghost, which will be a yeonbin fic whooped.  
> thanks!! comments and kudos are appreciated, as always wuwuuw : >>


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